Can I use dds discarded pen.?

[Sleepysunrise]

I've been on 5mg of mounjaro for about 5 months and lost 2 stone
Ive not ordered anymore as my 5mg has gone up to £200 and I just cant afford it. I really want to carry on though as my weight is creeping back up.
DD tried a 2.5 pen about 3 months ago but only did it twice as she didnt get on with it.
Its now still sitting in my fridge with 2 doses left.
Could I use that ? Its still in date and would be a new needle obviously??

It's only within dates if it has not been opened. It's 4 weeks after opening and then it should be discarded (I know lots of people use it for longer than this).

The manufacturers are very clear that the pens are single user only. I'm not sure I'd do it with a pen that's been open that long, even stored in the fridge.

I would use it absolutely. I also use the fifth dose always

No, don’t share a used pen. There is a slight chance of contamination, as when you inject there is a direct route between your body and the medication in the pen. It is also not legal to pass on prescription only medication.

The pen has also been sat open for far longer than the 30 days than the manufacturer guidelines on discarding pens. It’s been open for longer than 90 days.

All of that would make it a hard no from me.

Hard no for me

Risk of backflow into pen from another user (doesn’t matter it’s you dd you have different flora on/in your bodies) and way too far past 30 day in use period.

Its not worth the risk for just a couple of weeks medication which in the grand scheme of things wont really make a huge difference

I wouldn’t and I’m really not fussy about stuff.
I’ve ordered Wegovy to try since the increase. If you want to carry on consider switching

No apart from risk of passing anything on it says to discard after 30 days once opened

I probably would

The safe usage is single user, original needle, max 30 days from opening.
When people get the fifth dose they are bending one rule - and losing the "safety warrant" when doing that.

Breaking two rules means risking to inject yourself with anything unwanted what got on/in it and got a good few months to multiply there.

Not sure about the pen, but there are plenty of suppliers who have 5mg for less than £200 so it might be worth shopping around

5 doses is actually still within the 30 days.

also the contents of pen is in a vacuum. It’s not going back and forth. It’s not opened to the elements. You extract without contaminating what’s left. So 30 days means not very much

I would.

Pen that’s been open 3 months, used by another person and only has 2 (or 3) doses of half the strength you are on. Hard no from me too, the limited possible benefit does not justify the risk. And I am not against bending the rules myself.

You should be able to get 5mg somewhere cheaper than £200 if you shop around for new customer discounts.

or since budget is an issue - price up 7.5mg which you would be allowed to order and sub-dose - you can get 7 (8 if lucky) doses of 5mg from a 7.5pen with careful priming and syringes. That only breaks the 30 day advice by 3 weeks not 3 months and no cross contamination risk.

I know not the point of the thread but SwiftDoctor 159, Pharmulous 165, Medino 170: https://click.compare/mounjaro/

I wouldn't inject from a pen that was "opened" 3 months ago. It would not bother me more generally sharing with a family member though!

Yes, it is within 30 days. The fifth dose is breaking the "original needle" rule.

And the needle doesn't touch anything at all and nothing remains on it?

It's funny how we have high standards for dealing with drugs, with tests, chains and protocols, but the moment it gets dispatched people go wild and inject themselves with 3 months old parts.

What is the "original needle" rule?

If you take the first dose on day 1, second on day 8, third on day 15, fourth on day 22, the fifth dose is on day 29. That doesn't break a 30 day rule.

The needle pierces the red seal on the pen and goes into the glass vial, the other end is then in your body when you inject. So there is a small risk of back flow from your body into the pen.

At best you'll get one and a bit 5mg doses... all the potential risks mentioned above just for a week or two extra on WLI... I can't see any benefit if you are stopping after that.

So your DD used the pen twice but since then it has been in the fridge for around 12 weeks.

lots of people have do a fifth dose which means a pen is used inside 30 days, some may stretch a pen to 40 days but you are talking about possibly 84 days.

so it has been used twice by someone else and has been opened for around 84 days - that’s a definite no from me

No-one can tell you whether this is safe. They can only tell you if they would use it.

I wouldn’t.

I wouldn't use a pen someone else had used even if it was under the 30 days.

Plus imagine if something (related or not) were to happen & you had to confess the exact details to a HCP 😳

I’m not sure what you mean about the original needle rule.

but yes there could be contamination from needle to pen contents if not managed safely. Thinking about it more I can see there could be back flow.

I would use it

“Original needle”?
It’s a new needle every time you inject - I hope it is for you too!